The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-10-15

dare not devote our chief labors to the
building up of churches and assign
secondary Importance to the social and
humane work waiting on every hand to
be done. Any effort that will lift up the
fallen, break the shackles from souls in
bondage to sinful habits, enlarge man.
hood and strengthen intellectual and
moral endeavor, is acceptable before the
Lord. We need an inspiration to en-
large the interests of our church, to ex-
tend its borders and occupy every mis-
sionary field in which we can find room
for single foot. We should not seek
for comfortable and easy conditions of
church life, but rather for opportunities
to struggle and sacrifice. Comfort will
kill us. II we remain at home and look
only after our own we will soon have to
shake the moth from our faith. OF how
can we close our eyes to the Macedonian
cry coming from every quarter? We need
not go to India; the heather are at our
very doors. For our sake we need to
make sacrifices to cultivate the spirit OF
giving.
The reward to ourselves is great and
rich if we practice the golden rule. It is
more blessed to give than to receive. Too
long has the doleful cry of poverty rung
through the ranks of our denomination.
We are not poor; we cannot be poor if
we have the riches Of faith. We have a
thous and times more with which to bless
the world than he who worships Man,
mon, though his possessions of silver and
gold be beyond computing. OF we need
to know what true riches arel We some
times question the providence Of God in
permitting some OF his children to live in
luxury while others suffer in poverty and
want. But gold is not the gift of God.
Poverty and riches are incidental to life.
They neither increase nor diminish our
true possessions. Christ came that we
might have life and that we might have
it more abundantly; not that we might
have gold and silver, and lands and bonds
and mortgages. Whatever our earthly
treasures may be, Gods law necessitates
our parting with them. If by no other
means, then by death. This teaches that
they are not essential to our real happi-
ness. All that ministers to our eternal
welfare is above and beyond the touch of
death. In the grave none are rich in sill
yer and gold. What will Jay Gould's
wealth be to him when he lies in his COT
fin? Not half that OF many a poor heart
which he has oppressed. o! how can
men make such travesty of life as to
say that these heeting possessions are
riches? Are the men who have sacrificed
honor and conscience and set their iron
heel upon the necks of thousands and
heartlessly ground the face of the poor to
fill their Golfers, are they rich? Has their
gold added to their wealth of soul? Nay,
these are not riches; they are the accre-
tons OF earth; too often of filth that hin
der the growth Of soul and ruin the life.
They do not touch the essential part of
man save to injure. They cannot be-
come part of life.
Let Peter be our example, now that he
has put away his selfishness and become
missionary. The lame man lying at
the gate Beautiful asked aims, because
he had no knowledge that he could be
raised above the need of aims. Peter,
rich in gifts and the power of the spirit,
replied, "silver and gold have none,
but such as l have give thee" and
straightway conferred upon him greater
blessing than all the gold of earth could
purchase. This deed exhibits rich side
Of Peters nature, and true appreciation
of the gospel and the duties of Chris
tian. When men give out of their real
being, with compassionate tenderness
the gift is always of permanent value.
We sometimes think there is evidence of
great godliness in the munifcent gifts OF
gold and silver poured into the SO called
"treasury of the Lord" to carry the Cos
pei to the far away heather; but too often
such gifts are hush money, given to quiet
the conscience while the giver grinds the
face of the poor and SO makes heathens
and vsgabonds at home. When the heart
goes with the money, there will go also
an agonizing protest against some of the
Christian doctrines taught to the heather;
against the idea that because of their
blindness, in which they bow down to
wood and stone God will consign them to
endless ruin. The heart in the gift will
be healing power, as in the case of Peter
and the lame man. The power by which
he healed was gift of God. Yet he could
not exercise it until he had consecrated
his life to the service OF the Master.
When he bestowed the blessing, it was
part of his life; it came from the very
center of his being; hence its value.
Christ does not want our silver and gold
to carry on his work unless they repre-
sent more than dollars and cents. He
does not want our substitutes, nor our
amen. He wants us. He wants the spirit
that will follow him, that will give love
and sympathy and faith and energy and
devotion, yea, that will give self, even life
to the truth. So though we have not sill
yer and gold; if we have that consecra-
tion that will give life in the full belief
that whatsoever will lose his life shall
find If. IL ua hava fbiS oopsaorotion